March 2021

The new issue of ETH Globe magazine focuses on the topic of "disruptions", including those affecting infrastructure systems. In this context, the research contributions of D-BAUG professors Božidar Stojadinović and Olga Fink are highlighted.

Together with his team, D-BAUG Professor Fabian Walter has developed an innovative alarm system that can provide early warning of debris flows at Illgraben in Valais. For this, the scientists used seismic sensors and machine learning. The new AI detector increases the warning time by at least 20 minutes compared with existing systems. The study is the first milestone in a research collaboration conducted by WSL and Swisscom Broadcast in the early detection of natural hazards in Alpine regions.

The Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology at D-BAUG houses one of the largest research labs at ETH Zurich. Within an area of 1,500 square meters, experiments and teaching activities have been conducted for over 90 years. By closely linking basic and applied research, the laboratory is at the international forefront in the fields of hydraulic structures, eco-hydraulics, fluvial systems and glaciology. And just very recently, a patent was registered via ETH Transfer.

Global media coverage for an original scientific study by D-BAUG Professor Alexander Puzrin and researchers from EPFL: their new avalanche theory puts forth a plausible explanation for the mysterious 1959 death of nine hikers in the Ural Mountains in the former Soviet Union. Since then, the rumor has persisted that the Russian state had covered up the truth behind the accident. The study was recently published in "Communications Earth & Environment" and picked up by media outlets worldwide.

Researchers around D-BAUG professor Ingo Burgert have chemically modified wood and made it more compressible, turning it into a mini-generator. When compressed, it generates an electrical voltage. Such wood could serve as a biosensor or as a building material that harvests energy.

Prof. Dr. Catherine De Wolf conducts research on efficient, environmentally compatible construction processes. She has been appointed as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of "Circular Engineering for Architecture" at D-BAUG. A warm welcome!